[tubesaab]

Hello
How important are the drivers in a Line Array,,have the quality off the driver the same meaning as in a normal speaker
Some say that the driver quality is not important ,,,what is right
best Bjarne

[nickd]

Driver quality may be the MOST critical aspect in any loudspeaker design. That said, the driver load is smaller in a line source so distortion is lower when you have lots of drivers running in series / parallel.

However just because a driver is crazy expensive does not mean it will actually sound good. Driver design is kind of a "black art" its not all science and math. A good designer listens to every material used. Even the glue used can effect the sound of a driver.

Ask Danny how many Drivers he has "bench tested" for sound quality before thinking about using them in a design. My guess would be hundreds or even thousands. You can hear a lot about a driver's overall sound with a few simple tests before a lot of time is wasted on cabnet design and crossover work for a poor sounding driver. Driver specs only tell part of the story.

[tubesaab]

that is just what i meen..but many other say that a driver in a line source is not so important--se how many line array with small cheap driver there is on the market
so this i why i so much want to listen to a LS-9

[Danny Richie]

Quality is still very important in how the speaker will sound.

Sometimes you will see line arrays made with inexpensive drivers and the results can be very good if the drivers are used within a range where their short comings are avoided. And in this application they are often not driven hard so large X-Max's are not a requirement.

The LS series woofers were purpose built for the line source application and cost to build was not an issue in determining their design. 

[Tyson]

What about OB line sources?  I love OB speakers and I love line source speakers, but I've never heard a full OB line source.

[tubesaab]

I think OB will need more space in room,but never heard one
Danny i am 100% shure that the drivers in the LS-9 are high class,but it is hard to go for it witout listen first

[Danny Richie]

What about OB line sources?  I love OB speakers and I love line source speakers, but I've never heard a full OB line source.

I have some 6.5" woofers designed for open baffle line sources that I just have not used yet.

I think OB will need more space in room,but never heard one
Danny i am 100% shure that the drivers in the LS-9 are high class,but it is hard to go for it witout listen first

Well, let's arrange for you a listen.

[tubesaab]

a little problem, i live in Denmark--just a few miles from USA    he he

[HAL]

What about OB line sources?  I love OB speakers and I love line source speakers, but I've never heard a full OB line source.

Tyson,
When the new Serenity Acoutics large Open Baffle Line Array's are available, I hope to have a pair here at my place.  I will be working on a digital crossover for them. 

If you are in the MAAC area, will be having a gathering once they are ready. 

[nickd]

Bjarne,

A large linesource is not a typical find in the average Danish home I'm sure. That said, the LS9 is most likely the best value ever in a large linesource design. I built a pair after owning one of Danny's eariler designs (Ephipany 20/21). They are everything everyone says about them. Amazing and yes BIG. Also not an easy build. If it's your first build it may be quite a challenge.

There are other value based designs out there I personally admire the Audio Artistry CBT46 kit from Parts express. He gets quite good sound with inexpensive drivers using some amazing engineering and a LOT of drivers. But, nothing is free, the system uses digital crossovers and correction to accomplish this low cost feat. Lots of cables, conections, and amps to fuss with.

No free lunch at the linesource market. But if you have a large room, the LS-9 will thrill you with lifelike soundstages, resolution and dynamics.

[stu]

Tyson,
When the new Serenity Acoutics large Open Baffle Line Array's are available, I hope to have a pair here at my place.  I will be working on a digital crossover for them. 

If you are in the MAAC area, will be having a gathering once they are ready.

Wow! Looks like I might have to come for a visit if you get those. They are going to be amazing I am sure.
Keep us updated
Mark

[HAL]

Mark,
Will keep everyone updated as it happens. 

[tubesaab]

Thanks Nickd
You have right,,not many in denmark had so big speaker,,but i new a few who speaker are 185cm high
my own is 150cm and weight over 100kg
i have spoken with the Danish tax office--i shall pay nearly 40% in tax with the import to denmark--not good,,,so i may see ,maybe in germany there are people who have built it

[persisting1]

Thanks Nickd
You have right,,not many in denmark had so big speaker,,but i new a few who speaker are 185cm high
my own is 150cm and weight over 100kg
i have spoken with the Danish tax office--i shall pay nearly 40% in tax with the import to denmark--not good,,,so i may see ,maybe in germany there are people who have built it

40% tax? That's going to hurt.

[tubesaab]

he he must have USA in the Euro Zone
in this zone no tax

[tubesaab]

What is the price for LS-9 kit ?

[Danny Richie]

What is the price for LS-9 kit ?

The LS-9 kit is $2,695 and the LS-6 kit is $1,995.

[tubesaab]

hmmmm not so bad
a big question---how do the woofer sound--can you compare it to others,,,i have heart--scanspeak (all of them ),,,own Audiotechnology 18H
SB speaker,,,have wavecor balanced ..Vifa
this is to get a idea off the sound from yours woofer

[Danny Richie]

hmmmm not so bad
a big question---how do the woofer sound--can you compare it to others,,,i have heart--scanspeak (all of them ),,,own Audiotechnology 18H
SB speaker,,,have wavecor balanced ..Vifa
this is to get a idea off the sound from yours woofer

First of all none of those companies made a driver suitable for the line source application. One really had to be designed specifically for that application.

As for the sound of the drivers and my impression compared to those mentioned. I really like the Audio Technology drivers as far as how they are made and the quality control measures that go into them, but have never been a big fan of polymer cones or the sound of the polymer cones. They tend to have a slight characteristic sound of their own.

I have used the Scan Speak Revelator woofers several times. I like how they handle the lower ranges but the heavy moving mass that they each have (even the 5" woofer) really limits their detail levels in the upper ranges. So I have never been a big fan of those either.

The Wavecore drivers are made pretty well, but sensitivity is pretty low. While I have had a bunch of them over here, I have not really gotten beyond measuring and testing them.

The Vifa drivers are a great value, but are not quite to the level of some of the others mentioned.

The purpose built LS woofers have the XBL^ motor allowing them to maintain a linear BL curve much better than the rest. Having an X-Max of 7.8 mm is not bad either. They are a very low impedance so that the over all impedance in the LS-6 and LS-9 application can be an easy impedance load to drive. One uses 2 groups of 4 and one uses 2 groups of 6. They have a low sensitivity too so as to match the output level of the tweeters. They are like a mini sub-woofer with good upper range resolution. They will play to a -3db in the mid to low 20's and the LS-9 is often hitting -3db down points in the teens in some rooms. No other commercial woofer would do that. And the paper cone design offers a very natural mid-range that is as good as any other top level driver. They also have a non-resonant polymer frame that gives them yet one more advantage over the rest.

[tubesaab]

Thanks
make real sense to me--
will find out to send you a PM
best Bjarne